Rubber tread or tire for wheels.



No. 894,014. PATENTED JULY'Zl, 1908-.

v E. B. KILLEN.

RUBBER TREAD OR TIRE EUR WHEELS.

'APPLIOATION FILEnouT. 27,1906'.

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vEDWARD Barca KILLEN, or LoNDoN, ENGLAND.

i RUBBER TREYAD OR TIRE FOR WHELS.

Specification of Letters` Patent.

Application led October 27, 1906. Serial No. 340,867.

The `present invention relates to improve-i ments in rubber treads or tires for wheels.

only for lighter traic 'but also for heavy traflic, even up to twelve tons. The Atire possesses not only the required sensitiveness to enable it to absorb road shocks but also tached to a wheel proper thatforces .which come into lay in its use and tend to wrench 1t off are withstood and the head of the stud is not nipped or cut between the steel binding, rim and the ground. The tire consists prin-A cipall of two wearing parts, one or' which is p a rub er part while the other is a binding metal rim.' The improved tire prevents the dangerous skidding and slipping which'prevails '1n all the present solid rubberand pneumatic tires and it does not throw mud laterally when traveling over muddy roads; y The invention is shown 1n the accompany ing drawings, in which:

yFigure 1 is a transverse section through a part'y of .-a'complete tread or tire .showing my lmprovements. Figs. 2 and- 3 are similar vviews showing -a wheel provided witha zig? ..."fzag ordoubletread'. Fig. 4 'is ai side view, .'"partlyin'sectionfoffthe tire shown in Fig. 3. vshowing-,Sonie slightly modified forms of the rubber studs, 1 ligs,"y7,^"84y and 9 are transverse sections of ldiillerent forms of the rubber part and he'r'n'eta .rlm,`:Fig 10'is an elevation, f the, rubber part, Figs. 11 'goffdifferentjforms vel `and14 vare bottom ber vpartshown in-Figs.

gis a-Aplan vieyr of the was preferably 'molded onthe Hat ina straight mold out of none lcontinuous piece and comprises a b`ase 1Vv from which projectround studs 2.1 These studs 'may 'be arranged in a circular line as, shown in Figs. 1, 8J 10,v 11 and 13 for. they `may be arranged in a zigzag line as shown in The improved tread-or tireis efficient, notl great durability and is so constructed and at' .mg air space beneath it.

igs. 5 'and 'arevfiews similar to Fig. 4 and.y

eycrs"` ofgdiierent formsof the metal binding her. and 'I the thickened Figs. 2 to J7, 12 and 14. l The studs project with the pprose for which the tire is intended.` t e case of light traflic they may project about half to three quarters of an Patented July 21, 190s. l

loutwards from the base a distance varying a mch from the base andV in case of heavyA Vtraffic they mayproject from one'to two inches from the`base. The studs may be spaced apart a suitable distance, for instance half an inch. Theinner circumference of the rubber part is molded with suitable recessed air spaces 3 which may be inform of an inverteddishand which are spacedla suitable distance apart' and have their open bases on the inside circumference ofV the rubber part. The number of theseair spaces exactl corresponds to the number of studs and t` ey are so arranged that each stud has a correspond- The top. of the studs may beilat or it maybe substantially sphericalvas shown in Fig. 8.

4 indicates an angled metal rim -having round holes made therein to take theheads of the rubber studs which pass right through the holes leaving onlywhat may be termed the necks ofthe sturls surrounded, supported and protected b the smooth walls of the holes in the meta rim. The rim has suitable Yflanges 6 at both its ed es, the flanges projecting inwardly towar the center of the rim. The edges of the outer circumference ofthe are inclined as shown at 7 in Figs. 1,'3, 8 and 9 or they v may round as shown at r 7ix`1l Fig. V2 or formedwith re'ntrant angles as shown aty'7b in Fig. 7. The Hanges on the rim permit bf the -rim fitting tightly over and 'thoroughly lprotecting 4the rubber edge at each lside of the base 1,0f the rubber part without preventing therubber base from spewing externally. The rim floats onthe rubber @im when the are is, streamer the f l Wheel and is always isolated fromthe wheel Proper by rubber and air. The Ametal 'ofl the.rim,. between the smi-holes," may be'left thicker thereby strengthening what might be weak parts and the 'rubber part is mo ded to flt. exactly into and close against art of the Vmetal The rim should ybe oltless and should he truly circular on itsinner and outer Vcircumference. In V`additio'nptoA the studs 2 thf'ubberpart .may be formed-with smaller studs 2f (see Fig.- 9) `at its sides andthe rim would then be formed with small openings 8 (see Fig. 15) to receive the studs 2*. y

The insertion of each rubber stud in its corresponding hole in the metal rim causes They serve a double purpose in that they preserve the shape of the base of the air space and in that, when held and retained as hereinafter mentioned, they serve to prevent the tread or tire being wrenched ofll the wheel 'propen The washers are held and retained in their proper position relative the Wheel proper by means of the ends of screw bolts 10 which bolts pass through the felly 1.1 and the metal rim 12 of the wheel proper or through the treading or fiat rim of a metal wheel. For lightertraffic it is not necessary that all the disks or washers should be provided with screw bolts and some of the washers may therefore be imperforate as shown at 9a in Fig. 9.

The air space bases when iilled by the4 washers are substantially sealed when the tread or tire is fitted and squeezed under compression onto the metal rim of the wheel proper, but under load the pressure of the base of the rubber part against the metal rim of the wheel automatically renders the sealing of the air spaces more perfect.

It will be seen from the drawings that what I have termed the neck of the stud is ysupported and protected by the walls of the round holes which takethe stud.- The rubber in the running surface of the stud is auto.

matically contractedunder compression in 'action and, as the studs come into ground contact, the rubber so spews into 'the air spaces that the heads more or less completely retire contracted into safe quarters. With lighter traffic this happens-to a less degree than with heavier tra'ic, in fact with very heavy traffic the binding rim may become a part of the treading surface which thus becomes of two densities, viz. that of metal and rubber respectively. For lighter traffic the air spaces may be larger and for heavier traflic the air spaces may be smaller. Figs. 1'to 10 shows different shapes and sizes of the air spaces. I

If the rubber p art is vconstructed with its parts proportioned substantially as shown in thejdrawings the rubber is not stretched in action beyond its elastic limit. The holes in the rim should be of such size and height relative to the diameter and height of the neck of the studs that they tightly take the latter and that no disadvantageous friction is de veloped when the stud is in ground contact between the wall of the holes and the necks of'the studs. The holes should so take the On the inner circumference of the base 1 of 5 the rubber part I may mold other' open air spawns which may run transversely as shown at 10' in Fig. 13 or they may run longitudinally or obliquely as shown at 13 and 13b in Fig. 14. These air spaces are closed by squeezing the rim- 4 oyer the wheel proper. One or more of these pneumatic treads or tires may be attached to the circumference of one wheel in which latter case the stud of one tread should occupy a position in the mid-- dle between the studs on the other tread. The binding rims 4v and 4b of such a double tire are shown in Fig. 16, in which 5a and 5b indicate the staggered openings of the two rims. In the case of slowly moving heavy traffic it is always advantageous to use two treads placed as above described or to make the tread zigzag or double.

The base `1 of the rubber part, although squeezed on over the wh'el proper when attached to the wheel, has always plenty of spew room, not only at both its base edges but also internally in the many internal air chambers 5 and 13, and the rubber part is therefore capable of absorbing the road vibration with remarkable efficiency. In fact room is left for some displacement of almost all the rubber in the rubber part and the elastic rubber is nevertheless held efficiently in its proper position on the circumference of the wheel proper, and the construction of the tire is'such that the ground contact bearing surface of the pneumatic or small.

elastic tire is The rubber part may b e eiiiciently and I cheaply patched if part of it is torn or worn away under great strain and the patched tread then becomes practically as good as it that the rubber part can easily have its two l ends brought together. Such a patched rubber part consisting of two joined parts 1L and 1b is shown in Figs. 12 and 14,

Having thus described my invention what I claim and desire to secure by Letters Patent is:

1. In a treadior tire, the combination of a i floated unbroken boltless inwardly flanged binding circular rim provided" with holes at suitable distances apart, a rubber tire having its outside treading circumference molded into studs adapted to fit through and to have their necks surrounded, supported and protected by the Walls of the said holesvand having its inside circumference molded with inverted dish-shaped recessed air s aces opposite the'said studs,v and Washers a aptedto it and lie fixed in the said air s aces; said Washers having screw-threaded cles to take the ends of bolts passing through the fellyand rim of the Wheel Nproper; all substantially as and for the purposes s ecified.

2. A pneumatic stu tread or tire suitably fixed over a Wheel proper and consisting of a rubber part Whose outside treading circumference is molded into suitable vstuds and whose insidebase circumference is molded 'With recessed air spaces corresponding in p0. oatmg sition with said studs, and a binding unbroken boltless inwardly flaned steel rim having holes to take protect an support the V- necks of said rubber studshsubstantially as described.y

3. The' combination With the felly and the i rim, of a rubber part resting on the rim and having a continuous flat base and having hollow studs forming a treading surface, a flanged steel resting on the base of said rubber part and having a plurality of perforations 1n which the studs of the rubber art ,snugly iit, Washers snu ly fitting in the olflanged steel rim resting on the base of said rubber part and having a plurality of perforations 1n which the 'studs of the rubber art snugly fit, washers snugly fitting in the c'llows of the studs of the rubber art, and bolts passing through the felly and t e rim and engaging said Washers'without contacting with the rubberpart; said rubber part having a l plurality of slits in its inner circumference.

In Witness whereof I have hereunto set my j hand in the resence of two witnesses;

DWARD BRICE KILLEN. Witnesses: s.

THOs. LmDLE, l JOHN T. LIDDLE. 

